PTI ‘mulling’ mass resignations

ISLAMABAD - Ahead of its planned ‘Azadi March’ in Islamabad on August 14, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is once again considering asking its lawmakers to resign from the National Assembly in order to exert more pressure on the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, according to part sources.Few weeks back PTI chief Imran Khan had said that his party might use the option of tendering resignations from the national and provincial assemblies, if their demand of verification of election results was not met. Later, PTI became part of the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms thinking that the party should avail the chance to get passed the electoral reforms from the represent set-up.According to party’s senior leadership, a discussion was going on within the party to use the option of resignations but no final decision had been taken yet. However, some well-placed PTI sources are of the view that there are very slim chances that the party would use this option and this is only being used as pressure tactic.PTI Central Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari rejected some media reports saying that Imran Khan had asked the party’s MNAs to submit their resignations with him. “No decision had been taken so far in this connection,” she said, adding that party’s parliamentary meeting is scheduled to be held on August 4 ahead of National Assembly session and this option would be discussed in that meeting.The remarks of Dr Mazari came after PTI MNA from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Engineer Hamidul Haq said on Saturday afternoon that PTI chairman Imran Khan had already asked party MNAs to tender their resignations ahead of the National Assembly session scheduled for August 4. He told TV channels that party’s MNAs would hand over their resignations to the party chief during a parliamentary meeting that would be held on Monday in Islamabad just two hours before the NA session. Unfolding the plan, Mr Haq further said that Imran would present the MNAs’ resignations to the National Assembly speaker on August 13-a day before PTI’s ‘Azadi March’ on Independence Day. Haq also said that 17 MNAs from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were committed to handing over their resignation to the party chief. PTI has total 34 seats in National Assembly.Imran Khan has given call for a long march on August 14 as a protest against the alleged massive rigging in 2013 general elections, demanding an audit of entire election results. Earlier, the PTI was demanding verification of thumb impressions of votes cast at least in four NA constituencies, but now they are demanding complete audit of the entire election results.Meanwhile, PTI chief in a letter to party’s Punjab President Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry has asked him for building up such a hype that help them achieve their million man target and created enough publicity to scare their opponents. In that letter, Imran Khan says that for this purpose it is mandatory that PTI office bearers in collaboration with ticket holders organise Azadi March registration camps from 6th to 14th of August.He said, “PTI in its 18 year long struggle for change and reform is now entering a decisive stage. This progress is due to the hard work and effort of the entire PTI team and workers.”He stressed the need for mobilising the general public into this movement for change. According to the directions, each NA constituency should organise two and each Punjab assembly constituency should set up one camp. “This a defining moment in the history not only for PTI but for Pakistan and I have full confidence in my team for making an all out effort to make this long march a turning point in this nation’ history,” the letter concludes.

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 03-Aug-2014 here.